Mariah
Introduction Mariah (マライア Maraia, ''also known as' Mahrahia') is a minor antagonist and one of the only two female characters in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure : Heritage For The Future. She is one of the Egypt 9 Glory Gods and controls the Stand called Bastet, which has the ability to turn anyone into a living magnet just by making them touch the Stand itself. While by many considered the worst character in the game, by others considered to be undefeatable and absolutely broken, Mariah's gameplay is unlike that of all other characters in the game. She is a Passive Stand character which mostly focuses on ranged combat and trapping opponents with her tricky moves. Mariah fights by throwing knives, cutting power lines and using kitchen utensils and other metalic objects she has in her 'collection'. 'Pros & Cons' + Best waifu + Perfect zoning character with variety of traps and projectiles + Powerful supers + Electric burn allows for decent 50/50 play and resets + Fast overhead move + High chip damage on most projectile moves - Easy to punish attacks - Passive Stand character - Chip damage mostly ineffective against Active/Weapon Stand characters - Requires 'Leveling Up' for maximum damage output on specials/supers - Little vertical and/or horizontal range on normals - Relies heavily on zoning/cheap tricks/opponent not knowing the matchup - No 'Stand' type attacks, meaning she cannot cut through Kakyoin's nets/other Mariah's electric wires, etc. - This also means her attacks barely manage to scratch the Stand Gauge of the opponent Movelist 'Normals' '''5A' - A simple knife poke. Tapping 5A three times will turn it into an 'auto-combo'... however, the last hit doesn't really connect. 5B - Mariah turns around quickly and stabs the opponent. Good as a quick poke but the range is limited. 5C - Mariah steps forward and performs a long slash. This move has okay horizontal range and is probably her only decent anti-air move. Be wary as some if not most opponents can just duck under this attack. 2A - Crouching knife poke. Obviously hits low. Tapping 2A three times will turn it into an 'auto-combo'. Your primary set of attacks. 2B - Mariah performs a far-reaching knife slice. Longest horizontal range out of all of Mariah's normals and pretty useful move for punishing/poking. However, it has bad vertical range and can be easily jumped over, plus the recovery time is not too good either. A very useful move in case opponents can duck under her 5C. 2C - Knife sweep. A powerful slash at opponent's legs which makes them trip over. Hits low. This move has a rather short range and long recovery time, so make sure to use it only when you see you will certainly connect with it. j.A - Mariah leans in the air and sticks her knife out. This move lasts until Mariah hits the ground. On rare occasions can lead to a cross-up, making it a great reset tool. j.B - Similar to j.A. Comes out slightly slower but deals more damage. j.C - Knife slash in the air. Probably Mariah's best normal as it has decent horizontal and vertical range and can lead to many combos. 'Command Normals' 6B - Spinning downward slash. An overhead with decent range that can combo into a super at close range. Very useful during mixups. 4B - Mariah turns around and throws a single knife over her head. After a short while, if the knife is close enough to the opponent, it will quickly fly towards them. If the knife wasn't in range, it will simply drop down on the floor. The knife can only hurt opponent after it starts homing, otherwise, it has no hitbox.This move's range or homing speed is always the same. Mariah's level does not affect it. It's good to cancel this move with a Special Attack of some sorts afterward because the flying knife can be used as a combo starter or at least provide some defense. It can serve as very situational anti-air against enemies that like jumping a lot and at the very least push em back while they're in the air. 3C - Upward slash, launches. Not particularly useful. 6C/4C ''(close)'' - Regular grab. Mariah grabs the opponent and then slams them away. The opponent can't recover from this move, which gives you enough time to set up some stuff. 'Unique Moves' Bast's Magnetism ''-'' S ''' Mariah places a Magnet (Outlet) which lasts on the screen for a while. Whenever opponent takes damage from the Magnet, Mariah's level will increase which in return increases power, range and speed (depending on the move used) of her Special and Super attacks. Maximum level is 8. In order to reduce level from Mariah, simply perform a regular throw attack on her (it counts even if Mariah techs the throw). Magnets act like projectiles, so they can interact with opponent's projectiles and block them effectively. This move while being used during a jump will suspend Mariah in the air for a brief moment. This move acts like a Special Attack, therefore, you can cancel into it from Normal Moves. Unfortunately, you cannot combo it by any normal means. Depending on the direction being held, Magnet will spawn in a different position. '''5S - Right in front of Mariah. (Blocks Abdul's projectiles) 6S - Slightly further and lower. (Blocks Midler's projectiles) 2S - On the ground. Hits low, which makes it good for mixups. 4S - Right above Mariah. j.5S - Pointing down. j.6S - Pointing up. 623a ''(while blocking)'' - Guard Cancel. Mariah performs a quick version of her overhead move, except it's not an overhead anymore. Quite useful due to its speed although it has a short range. Special Moves Collection -''' 236 + A ' Mariah laughs and drops 3 objects which after a short while begin to fly towards the opponent. Very long startup but the move itself can be used as a combo starter. It also does okay chip damage and can suppress the opponent for a short while. Higher level makes the projectiles track opponent faster and better, and it also increases projectiles' speed. Possibly also increased start-up speed. This move can be performed midair. Note that similarly to her S attacks, it will also momentarily suspend her in place when used. ''Enrapture - 214 + A ''' Mariah poses for a short while. If the opponent is in range, metal wires will drop from Mariah and begin flying towards the opponent. If this move hits the opponent, they will be stunned for a while. Tapping left/right quickly won't release you from this move. After this move connects, Mariah can hit opponents one time, after that they will be launched towards the wall, causing wall bounce, Opponents cannot recover from this move. Note that wires fly only close to the ground and can be easily jumped over. Higher level increases the range the move activates at and also increases wires flying speed and the distance they can travel. This move can only result in a combo from a very lucky projectile attack or Electric Burn's power line. It's not recommended to use this move on Magnetism levels below 3 due to very slow speed and poor activation range, though there are ways to make the wires activate no matter what. If the move does not activate, the recovery time is insanely long. Otherwise, this move recovers very quickly after the activation is successful. ''Electric Burn'' '- '''623 + A' Mariah quickly throws a knife into the air. If the knife won't hit the opponent, a cut power line cable will fall from the sky. After a short while, the cable's end will start sparking, homing towards the opponent and dealing damage on contact. Higher level makes the cable's homing way faster and also increases the number of hits it does, also making it last a lot longer. Depending on the button pressed, Mariah will throw a knife at different angles. A - Right above her. B - Slightly angled. C - Far away. Be careful as opponent's stand attacks can cut the wire, making the attack useless. If that happens you might try punishing them quickly with another move. Also, mind that sparks from the cable aren't instant and you may be countered during the startup with a Super or another move. If the opponent begins to pushblock during this move, you can easily perform a grab during it for some reason. Using this move while the opponent is down on the ground can effectively set you up for 50/50s. 'Super Moves' What are you thinking?! -''' 236 + AA''' Mariah poses and knocks the opponent down with screws hidden inside of her bra. After a while, screws and bolts start flying towards the opponent. The first hit of this move always causes a stand crash and launches the opponent, plus it causes a lot of stunblock in case it's blocked. Higher level makes Mariah fire more projectiles, makes them faster and gives them better homing. Even if this move is blocked, it does insane amounts of chip damage which makes it a great weapon against any Passive Stand characters. This move can be performed midair. The midair version plays the flash animation earlier than ground version, though works in a similar manner. This move is surprisingly a very good anti-air move, though it's rather risky to use and can be blocked midair. Note that when used in a high combo chain the first hit launcher will instantly ground the target, reducing the usefulness of this move. Iron Crush -'' '''214 + AA ' Mariah slashes up with a magnetized knife, sending opponents into the air. While they are in the air, various pieces of junk fly towards them. After all pieces of junk hit the opponent, a car slams them from above, striking them straight into the ground. The player can use 5A or another 214aa right as the car slams opponent down to extend the combo/loop super. Higher level makes this move deal more damage to the opponent as more pieces of junk fly towards them. Using this move in a combo will make the damage from the last hit scale down really badly, though it's better than using this move on its own as it's very easy to punish on block. Also, note that after using this super all Special attacks currently on the field become deactivated. Combos You can start many of the following combos from j.A, j.B, j.C, 4B, 236a or even 623a's cable hits. 'Basic Combos' 2A 2A 2A - Auto-combo. Double low poke into a sweep. Final hit will launch enemies with stand on instead of grounding them which can lead into combos in case they don't recover fast enough. Your primary combo for the game. You won't need much more than that but in case you wanna do more stuff with Mariah, here you go. It might be useful. 5A 5A (5A) - Auto-combo. Double standing poke into a quicker version of 4B that is not an overhead DOES NOT COMBO. Avoid doing the last hit, though it's not really too horrible. 2A 2A 5C - Low pokes into horizontal slash. Possibly most damaging combo out there. 5A 5A 2B - Pokes into a knife slice. 5A 3C - Poke into a launcher. 5A 5A 2C - Pokes into a sweep. Requires fast timing. Good if you want to trip your opponent and try mixups during their wake-up. Though 2A*3 auto-combo is just better. 2A 2A 5B - Low pokes into standing stab. 3C 623B/623C - Launcher into Electric Burn's knife projectile. 5A 2A 2A 2A - Standing poke into auto-combo. 2A 5A 5A 2B - \o/ 5A 2A 2A 5B - \o/ 5A 2A 2A 5C - \o/ 'Advanced Combos' 5A 236aa/214aa - Poke into super. 2A 236aa/214aa - Low poke into super. 5A 3C 236aa/214aa - Poke into launcher into super. 5B 214aa - Stab, super. May miss on a longer distances. 2B 214aa - More stab, more super. Needs to hit the opponent really close though. 2A 5B 214aa - Low poke, stab, super. 5C 214aa - Long slash, super. You need to be close enough though. 2A 2A 5C 214aa - Two low pokes into standing slash into a super. Works best close to the wall. Use single jab when you're not sure if it will connect. 6B 214aa - Overhead into super. j.A/j.B/j.C j.236aa - Jumping attack into super while you're still in the air. You need to hit the opponent very close for the super to work. 2A 66A 2A 66A... - If you're a TAS, this is a jab infinite. Otherwise, very tough to perform links. 2A 662A 2A 662A... - Same as above but consists of low jabs only. Not recommended. 'Bugged Combos' These combos are considered bugs and are not allowed in competitive play. Do not use them unless you're rude. They are patched in most versions of the game. 214aa (loop) - Well timed infinite as long as you have enough stocks of super meter. 214aa 5A 214aa (loop) - Another variation with a light stab right after super ends. There's a possibility opponent may recover from it but who cares. It's better to know that it's possible. 'Combos that work only against characters with Stand On' 2C 236aa/214aa - Sweep launches instead of knocking down, allowing for a super afterward. 2A 2A 2A 5C 5S - Technically it can be recovered from after 5C but requires good timing from the opponent, otherwise, it is a free level up. 2A 2A 2A 5C 214aa/236aa - Same as above but with super instead of the magnet. More guaranteed. General Strategy 'Summary' Mariah has many disadvantages while fighting characters with Active Stand. Try to keep your distance and bait enemies into your Magnets or grabs. Be careful to not be punished while performing any moves by long range attacks and tandems. Enemies will most likely try to go for a grab once you have enough Level Ups. Use this opportunity to strike them down with your fast normals. While opponent blocks Electric Burn, try to bait them into using a Guard Cancel. If they mistime it Electric Burn will still damage them, leaving them wide open for a punish or even a reset. If they block it in midair, you get a free 5C and possibly more afterward. Always use your Stand, even during the maximum level. It doesn't do much damage but can stop your opponents from doing a rushdown if placed properly. It makes a great shield against opponent's jump-ins and single projectile attacks. If you don't feel safe by using your projectile attacks from the ground, remember you can still use Collection in the air. Timed properly you will manage to jump over opponent's projectiles or other moves. If opponent rolls through your projectiles, feel free to grab them. Use your 5C a lot, especially against enemies with larger hitboxes. It is very fast and easily catches any attempts at jumping, however, do not abuse it as it can be sometimes easily read and punished. Its anti-air capabilities, while good may not be good enough against certain opponents with better move priority, so use it wisely. Where 5C won't work, 2B becomes your best friend as a long distance poke. Due to its long range, it will help you in a lot of situations, especially against opponents with shorter hitboxes that can easily duck under 5C. Watch out for its long recovery while fighting opponents with fast rolls. Mariah has a lot of good pokes. Her 2A and its dashing version comes out really fast and can easily check opponents. If you feel like being more aggressive, 2A, 2B, and 5C are your best friends. Remember to cancel your Normals into special moves when you feel you're in a safe distance away from the opponent. Mariah can set a lot of frame traps using her Magnets and Enrapture. Magnets work well as a thing you can cancel into. If your opponent mistimes their attack after a blocked string, you'll most likely get a level up with a possibility to continue your rushdown. Remember that you can place Magnets in different places. 5S, 6S or 2S are best after a successful attack. 4S makes a good anti-air trap. Alternatively, you can 214a after a successful or blocked hit. While it can't combo it might force the opponent to block or jump, which again allows you to keep your rushdown in a lot of situations. Alternate between your Specials, always try to use Electric Burn whenever you have the opportunity. If the opponent leaps forward at you after attempting to cut the cable midair, strike em with 5C or punish with Super depending on the range. Winning neutral as Mariah can be really tough without proper knowledge of her moveset and what her specials are capable to do, but once you learn to use her moves properly, opponents might have a hard time trying to reach you without taking any damage. 'Okizeme/Resets' Once Mariah trips her opponent down, quickly cancel the last hit of your 2A*3 auto-combo into Electric Burn. Try to throw the knife so that the opponent won't be able to cut it down with their moves. Once that's done, you can do several things with your opponent. 2A is your primary low attack that doesn't cause a hard knockdown, and so it's the easiest thing to do in this situation. Remember to not mash it so you won't do Mariah's auto-combo by accident. Short Hop j.B or j.C is great if you need an overhead. You can also use 6B though it requires a slightly more precise timing. You can attempt to jump over the opponent with j.B and hit them from the other side too. Try to alternate between Lows and Highs or bait opponents into using Guard Cancel. Alternatively, try to chip down their health if you want to keep a safe distance with 236 projectiles or 236 super. 2S while slow, can be used from some distance. Unfortunately, it's easy to predict and most likely will be blocked. Once Electric Burn manages to damage your opponent, you have multiple finishers you can do. Primarily, use your 2A2A2A auto-combo as it will ground your opponent, then repeat the whole process again. You can also finish it with 214aa Super for more damage as it will also allow you to continue the process of resetting your opponent. Alternatively, when Electric Burn manages to gain some longer duration, just feed your opponent some Magnets to quickly increase your level to maximum. With proper timing, you can use 214a to wrap your enemies right after cable's last hit (though the timing is very precise or the move might just miss, read it as go through the opponent entirely if done at the wrong moment). That's not her only Oki though! If for whatever reason you don't want to use Electric Burn, use 2S to put a Magnet on the ground then use any jumping attack during a short hop. Big chances are both attacks combined will become nearly unblockable! You may also attempt to use 6B instead of the jumping attacks although that depends on who you're fighting as some enemies have faster/slower recovery times and it might end up being too slow or you'll just mistime it. 'Enrapture (214a) Setups' Once you manage to land this move on your opponent, you may ask yourself 'alright, how do I do most damage now?' well, there are several options you can do: In case Enrapture managed to land while you weren't performing any Special moves like Electric Burn, in case you're close enough, use 5S to put a Magnet right behind them (6S appears too low), then quickly slash them with 5C if possible. Once opponent hits the Magnet, finish the combo with 214aa super. All of this requires precise timing. That is one of the most optimal things to do, though you have other, simpler options too. You can simply inject an S Magnet into them, works well enough if you're desperate to raise your magnetism level quick. In case you were further away from the wire when it connected. 5C will be enough to reach your target from afar, and in most situations you can instantly combo it into 214aa super, though 214aa super alone might be a better idea considering the wrap itself does not count as a combo, meaning the damage from super won't scale down. 236aa super on its own is capable of doing more damage than the 214aa super on max level, however, do not smack the opponent with the first hit of that super or they will fly away which may reduce the damage or instantly knock them down when used in a combo. Finally, you can use Electric Burn. If it connects quickly enough opponent will stay on the ground, meaning you can add some Magnets into the mix and finally trip em over with your auto-combo. A good combination is to use Electric Burn first, then to put a Magnet behind the opponent, run into them so that they get pushed to the Magnet and finish your combo. Using 236a projectiles might not cause the opponent to be launched like they usually do which can also lead to some combos. Note that Enrapture will launch enemies no matter what, so you can put a Magnet behind em, wait when they are launched and the Magnet will prevent them from slamming into the wall. Sadly, it is impossible to get two Electric Burns in a single combo THIS WAY (or rather, it is extremely hard to time properly), therefore use other methods in case you wrapped opponent from it. Remember that you can use Enrapture in a combo twice though (Enrapture > Electric Burn > Enrapture again > Finisher). However, that would be too simple now, wouldn't it? It is possible to use Electric Burn and Enrapture to actually continue using Electric Burn multiple times in a combo. By timing a 4B knife properly during Electric Burn, it is possible to make the hitstun slightly longer, increasing the delay between two Electric burns which results in being able to throw out another one earlier. The timing can be still very rough, but it becomes easier this way. Trivia *As mentioned before, Mariah and Midler are the only two female characters in the game. *When losing by Time-out, Mariah performs a very comedic facial expression which is a reference to the manga. *Due to her moveset being what is it, Mariah is capable of cutting Power Lines in very obscure places, like Deserts or Hotel Rooms, which makes little to no sense. *Her 214aa Super Loop works only in the 990913 revision of Heritage For The Future. It is patched in all other versions of the game as it was a programming oversight. References https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh1OUmyqS6o - BnBs, featuring some okizeme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWHDVgtzhBU - Electric Burn/Enrapture combos and other not necessarily useful stuff